Biometrics offices get new leaders

John D. Woodward Jr. is the new director of the Defense Department's Biometrics Management Office, succeeding Linda S. Dean, who retired Sept. 30.

The Army also plans to appoint a new civil-service director for the DOD Biometrics Fusion Center in Bridgeport, W.Va., according to a Defense news release. The center tests and evaluates biometric technologies.

'The DOD Biometrics Program has made impressive strides toward institutionalizing biometrics within key DOD communities,' said David Borland, chairman of the DOD Biometrics Senior Coordinating Group.

Woodward was hired from RAND Corp., a public policy research organization where he worked as a senior policy analyst on national security, intelligence and technology policy issues. Before joining Rand, Woodward was an operations officer for the CIA.

He has testified about biometrics before Congress and also wrote a book, Biometrics: Identity Assurance in the Information Age.